In the spirit of saving the best for last—yet in time for holiday shopping—on Saturday, December 20, 2 to 5 p.m., a trio of notable Hawai‘i authors, each of whom have a new release this fall, will appear in a group signing at Native Books/Nā Mea Hawai‘i.

The three participants are all seasoned authors, each having previously published multiple titles with UH Press:

John R. K. Clark will sign North Shore Place Names: Kahuku to Ka‘ena (paperback, $25.00). In his ninth book, Clark takes the reader on a historical tour of the North Shore of O‘ahu and uncovers the everyday lives of the residents, especially prior to the plantation era. An enormous number of references to specific North Shore locations are presented in an easy-to-use dictionary-style format, which includes original passages in Hawaiian with English translations by Keao NeSmith.

Marion Coste will sign Hawai‘i’s Animals Do the Most Amazing Things! (ages 8 and up; hardback, $14.99). Hawai‘i is home to a fascinating array of animals, most of which are found nowhere else in the world. In her fifth book with UH Press, Coste provides factual information on many of these native birds, marine life, insects, and other native animals that have developed unusual adaptations to help them survive. The colorful book is illustrated by Kona resident Rena Ekmanis.

Susan Scott will sign Call Me Captain: A Memoir of a Woman at Sea (paperback, $19.99). In a departure from her previous natural science titles, Scott’s latest is a personal account of her mid-life crisis when she was challenged by life’s transition and a failing marriage. With a mix of candor, humor, and wit, she navigates through her period of being “menopausally nuts” and her decision to sail to Palmyra Atoll—without her husband—and emerges with both a stronger sense of self and a strengthened relationship.

Everyone is invited to come by to meet these authors at a table just outside the store entrance. Books will be sold inside the shop for customers to have signed by the authors at the outside table. This is a great chance to wrap up your holiday shopping in one place!

Coach Shoji and Ann Miller will appear at book-signings scheduled for mid-November:Wednesday, November 12, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at University of Hawai‘i Mānoa Bookstore (See the bookstore’s Facebook for their special offer)Saturday, November 15, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, Ala Moana CenterUPDATE 11/10/14: Third signing added:Friday, November 28, approximate time 10:00 to 11:00 p.m., following the match against UC-Riverside, on the concourse near Gate B and the UH Athletics’ H-Zone shop at the Stan Sheriff ticket office. Books will also be for sale at the H-Zone Ward Center shop.

In the coming weeks, books will become available at other retailers as well as the above and directly from UH Press.

Quite different from Susan’s previous guidebooks on Hawai‘i’s marine life, Call Me Captain is a tale of self-discovery when she faces a turning point in her life and marriage and decides to leave everything behind to sail to Palmyra Atoll to work as a volunteer biologist. Follow Susan as she writes about swimming with manta rays, kayaking with sharks, and sailing with whales and dolphins. Her memoir is a romance, a harrowing sea tale, and a personal account of nature’s power to put life in perspective.

Writer and activist Anita Heiss, a well-known advocate for indigenous education in Australia and one of the leading Aboriginal Australians involved in a highly controversial legal case related to Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act, will give a public talk on Wednesday, September 10, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at George Hall Room 227 on the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa campus. Her presentation will be based on her recent memoir, Am I Black Enough for You?, which tells her story of growing up with an Aborigine mother and Austrian father and charts the development of her activist consciousness, including her involvement in the case. She describes and examines her experiences as a modern woman in a country where ethnic and racial identity politics plays a significant role.